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Sunday, September 16, 2012

The Season of Sin by Stacy-Deanne: Character Interview, excerpt

The Season of Sin (Book 2 in the Bree & Steven Interracial Suspense Series) by Stacy-Deanne(Peace in the Storm Publishing)

Release: April 2012

About the Book:

Detective Brianna “Bree” Morris and her partner and ex-lover Steven Kemp are back. This time they are thrown head first into a gruesome homicide that brings forth as many secrets as it does clues.

Brianna’s psychiatrist, Dr. Nadia Hollister is stabbed to death in her upstairs bathroom. Brianna, who is at Nadia’s while the murder happens, is the only witness. Unfortunately she was knocked unconscious by the killer and only has the memory of the killer’s scent to go on.

Brianna and Steven sign on to help Homicide Detective Jayce Matthews solve the case. With Nadia’s journals as her guide, Bree learns that Nadia was keeping a devastating secret that has something to do with her adopted daughter. The renowned doctor was not whom she seemed to be and her secret may not have only got her killed but could ruin the foundation of her entire family.

The police hunt for suspects but Nadia’s secret could wreck the lives of many, all who have motive to kill her.

The deeper Brianna and Steven dig into Nadia’s past; the more they question whether Nadia was the true victim after all.

“Ahh.” Brianna awoke on Nadia Hollister’s couch not remembering
how she got there. Cops walked in and out of the front door. Someone barked
orders among overlapping voices. Cameras snapped in the distance. People
trudged through the halls.

An ice pack slid from underneath her when she lifted her head. A
spasm traveled through her neck. Goosebumps covered her brown skin.

“Let me get Detective Kemp.” The lady pulled Brianna’s fingers
from her shirt. “I think it’s best if he explains it to you.” She ran out.

Officers drifted in to check on Brianna. She fanned them away,
lying that she felt okay.

“Bree?” Detective Steven Kemp squeezed between the forensics
officers at the doorway. Humidity forced his short blond hair into small spikes.
His turquoise-blue pupils zeroed in on Brianna as if he expected answers she
couldn’t give.

“Oh, Bree.” He adjusted his gun belt and sat beside her.

“I’m fine.” She massaged her temples. “Just tell me what’s going
on.”

“I’m just so glad you’re all right, baby.” He kissed her
forehead.

“I feel like someone ran over my head then came back, saw that
wasn’t good enough and decided to pound it with a brick.”

“The medic checked it. There’s no lump or anything.” He combed
his hands through her hair. “Just need to get you to the hospital for tests to
make sure everything is okay.”

Someone had taken down her ponytail. Her neat curls had
dissolved into kinky ringlets.

“I don’t need to go to the hospital.”

“I don’t care what you say you need. You got hit in the head
with that thing.” He pointed to the canister on the floor.

“I’m fine, Steven.”

“Get up without wobbling then.”

She got up. “Oh! Oooh.” She fell back down.

“See, you’re going to the hospital.”

“What happened? Why is Jayce here?”

He lowered his head. “I’m so sorry, Bree.”

“What?” She put the ice pack on her head. “Steve spit it out.”

“Nadia was murdered.”

“What?” She dropped the
ice pack. “You…that’s impossible.”

“Bree.”

“No wait a minute! We were just together tonight, here. We were
gonna watch a movie.” She felt her head. “This can’t be true. It just can’t
be.”

“It is. We believe whoever attacked you killed her.”

“Just tell me how it happened please.”

“She was stabbed.” He lowered his voice. “Multiple times.”

“Oh.” She covered her mouth. “I don’t believe this. Nadia’s
dead?”

Officers stacked boxes in the den.

Steven held her. “I’m so sorry, Bree.”

“I don’t believe this. Who would hurt Nadia? And I was here? I
was right here and I didn’t stop it!”

“It’s not your fault.”

“Oh god.” She cried into her hands. “Steven this makes no sense.
Who would want to kill Nadia?”

Homicide Detective Jayce Matthews sauntered in. The muscular,
light-skinned black man passed a small plastic sack to an officer then
approached the couch. He sunk his hands in the pockets of his coat. His hard
face softened with sincerity and concern.

“Bree honey you all right?”

“I’m fine, Jayce.”

“She’s lying.” Steven rested his foot on the coffee table.
“She’s in a lot of pain.”

Jayce took her arm. “We need to get you to the hospital. You
look good but we need to be cautious. Come on.”

She snatched away. “I’m not going anywhere until I find out what
exactly happened.”

“Your health is more important right now,” Steve said.

“Jayce?” Brianna rubbed her head. “You’re on this case?”

“Yes.”

“I want all the details.”

Detective Brianna “Bree”
Morris of

Melody, Giving up the Ghost and The Season of Sin.

Who is your favorite
author?

I don’t really have one
favorite author but I love Harlequin romances. I know it might seem weird with
me being a tomboy but I love curling up with a good book after a hard day at
the job. Being a detective I don’t have many opportunities to relax so curling
up with a Harlequin Presents book is the highlight of my day.

Tell us about your
family.

Well I was born and raised in
Albany, New
York which I still live. I’m an only child. My parents got divorced
when I was a kid and since then my father’s never really been in the picture.
My mother remarried to Edgar Holmes. They live in Hartford, Connecticut.
I’m blessed for having Edgar in my life. He’s been a true father to me and he
being rich doesn’t hurt either. LOL!

What was the
scariest moment of your life?

Ooh. There have been many in
my line of work. I’ve been almost killed. I was almost raped by a serial
rapist. I was recently stalked by a man who tried to kill a friend of mine. He
followed me to work. He constantly called me. He broke into my home. He even
tried to kill my captain. I can’t explain how scary it all was. I’m a woman
used to being in control and I didn’t know how to react when I had someone
trying to control me. But it’s over now and the experience has taught me a lot.

Who should play you
in a film?

People tell me I look like
Kerry Washington but I’ve always seen myself as Sanaa Lathan or Gabrielle
Union.Either of those actresses would
do.

Do you play any sports?

Oh yeah I grew up playing
sports. I played on the little league softball team when I was little. I ran
track in high school. I was on the high school basketball team. I also can play
tennis and volley ball. I love sports!

If I came to visit
early in the morning would you impress me as being more like a chirpy bird or a
grumpy bear?

Grumpy bear definitely. LOL! I
love my job but I don’t like getting up so early in the morning. I’m rather
crabby until I get some food in me. Once I’ve had breakfast I’m sweet as can
be.

Do your friends
think you are an introvert or an extravert? Why?

I guess I’m a mixture. I like
having my own space. I live alone except for my cat Davis.
So a part of me is introverted but I do enjoy going out and having a good time.
I’m very sociable. It’s just that with my job I don’t have much time to go out
on a regular basis.

Thanks so much for interviewing me! Check out the
books to get to know me and the adventures I face first hand!

Stacy-Deanne (Dee-Anne) is a novelist of crime
fiction, mysteries, and suspense. Stacy
is profiled along with notable authors in the NAACP-nominated 2006 book,
“Literary Divas: The Top 100+ African-American Women in Writing.” “Giving up
the Ghost” is a 2011 African-American Literary Award nominated novel and a 2012
Top 20 Black Expressions Bestseller.“The Season of Sin” is a 2012 African-American Literary Award nominated
novel. Stacy was born, raised and resides in Houston, Texas.

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